Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COLEMAN: ROAR US TO FINALS
CHRIS COLEMAN hailed Wales’ “golden era” but demanded fresh history with one more huge effort tonight.
Wales will qualify automatically for Russia if they beat the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff and Group D leaders Serbia slip up.
Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales have not reached a World Cup since 1958.
And Coleman admitted: “It is as big as anything we have been involved in. We have to give everything we’ve got.
“But my team always do. They were labelled this golden bunch of players before we qualified for a tournament and I fought against that.
“But they have earned it, this group of players have made a difference.
“This is their time, they are doing a great job, doing fantastically well.
“It is a golden era, they have proved that but whatever they have done is in the past. We can’t be thinking we have done really well, it is not going to help us tonight.”
A sell-out 33,000 crowd is due at the Cardiff City Stadium. Unbeaten Wales have pulled off three successive wins without conceding to climb back into the race for Russia.
Boss Coleman added: “The excitement in the country is incredible. To the Welsh nation I say, ‘Be there for us and we will make you proud, like we have done’.”
Wales Player of the Year Chris Gunter (above) said: “We are going in with momentum and are confident.”